


Thinking Like a Warrior

by Es_Aitch



Series: Twelfth Doctor One Shots Series 10 [9]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s10e09 Empress of Mars, Gen, Post-Episode: s10e09 The Empress of Mars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11202864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Es_Aitch/pseuds/Es_Aitch
Summary: My basic ‘what happens after’…  Hoping that again they skip on showing these bits…





	Thinking Like a Warrior

When the Doctor saw Missy, his face fell. Not because Missy had been in the TARDIS, nor indeed because she had piloted his beloved ship without his permission. No. That’s not what went through the Doctor’s mind. The Doctor’s biggest downfall was that he always thought like a warrior. Even when he continually spouted off how sorry he was – when he was sandshoes and hair – he thought like a warrior.

So seeing Missy there on the TARDIS made his hearts drop into his stomach. The Doctor had enough entries in the Fatality Index to know how it worked. And he was doing everything in his power to not be listed under ‘cause of death’ for the Master. But it just became a hell of a lot more complicated. In fact, this turn of events might even lead to his own Fatality Index Entry. He didn’t know what to do or what to say.

“Are you all right?”

Missy’s voice broke him from his thoughts enough to make him realise he had to address her. “This can’t happen.”

What he really wanted to do was shout and call Missy an idiot! She was going to ruin everything and all he was trying to do was save her. “ _This_ is not what we agreed to.”

Rafando probably didn’t understand the subtext, nor the fact that while the Doctor was a touch telepath, there was a level of communication between Missy and himself that could always transcend everything. Missy calling him her friend and echoing the words of ‘Without hope. Without witness. Without reward.’ Told the Doctor that she would do literally anything in order to be saved. They made a secret pact in that moment. He would save her, but she would have to learn to be good. And they both had one thousand years to accomplish it.

“I’m going to have to put you back in the vault, you know that.”

And hope against hope that no one else learned of this. His oath was a serious one to take. It was rare for a Time Lord to make an oath that included both species and a chapter house being named within the oath. Usually it was one or the other – to say both sealed the oath in a very specific way. It meant that if it were broken, his life could be forfeit and certainly his standing as a Time Lord would be.

Missy’s voice was weak and wavered. “Sure, that’s fine.”

She sounded like she expected that answer, but there was something else. He didn’t like the sound of it. Because she didn’t sound like she wanted to be out of the Vault. She was too willing to go back in there, a bit too easily. He could tell it wasn’t because she was trying to be ‘good’… it was something else. Something he couldn’t discuss here. She tilted her head and gave him an all too familiar look.

“What?” They were in public, he couldn’t have such discussions now, but he wanted to acknowledge that he had seen the expression.

“But, Doctor, please, tell me. Really. Are you all right?”

She approached him and then looked him up and down.  The Doctor didn’t like that. When the Master did things like that, it meant nothing good. But this wasn’t the time or place.  “I’m fine.” He huffed and moved to set the TARDIS to return them to Earth.

It was a quick trip, but Bill and Nardole had enough time to change. The Doctor kept his watch over Missy. Once they landed, he gestured to Bill and Nardole. “You two. Go. I’ll deal with Missy.”

Nardole squeaked in fear and ushered Bill out, even though she was trying to protest. The Doctor waited until they were gone before he approached Missy.

“You can’t do that _ever_ again.”

“Do what? Save you and your little pet? Or ask you how you are? Isn’t that what ‘good people’ do? Ask others how they are?”

The Doctor could only purse his lips in reply. His voice was quiet and low. “Missy, please. If they knew…”

“Both our lives would be in jeopardy, I know.” She paused. “Doctor… Can we finish this conversation in the vault?”

The Doctor was confused. Not only was Missy okay with returning to the Vault, but she was asking to be returned to the Vault. He was tempted to ask her if she was all right. But he didn’t and instead gestured to the TARDIS doors and followed her out.

Once they were back in the Vault, Missy took her seat by the space heater and the Doctor took his across from her. They each remained silent for a long time. “I didn’t know how to react to freedom.”

Her voice broke softly into the silence. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he remained quiet until she snapped her head at him, her expression demanding an answer.

“In what way?”

She sighed. “Well, Little Round asked for help with your TARDIS. I’ve always wanted your TARDIS ever since you ran away… She was what kept us separated for so many years.”

The Doctor was about to argue, but Missy held up her hand to silence him. “When Little Round let me out of the vault and into the TARDIS, I thought I’d finally found the freedom I was looking for. I could go anywhere in any point in time. And it was _your_ TARDIS.” She shrugged and continued. “But, you would have been stranded and I realised my freedom, would mean less if you weren’t around to share it.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “So, you came to Mars to save me?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. You’re you and I’m me. I would have saved you anyway. I realised if I didn’t run, then maybe you might remember that being friends is about more than just saving each other. And when I leave here, maybe we can share our freedom together.”

The Doctor was quiet for a long time. She had a point. Friendship was about more than just saving lives. Had he really gotten to the point of things being so watered down? He swallowed thickly at the emotions that rose. “Missy, I think I’d like that.”


End file.
